Off Britain, January 14, 2008A storm-damaged timber-carrying ship sinks in the English Channel, prompting worries over possible stray logs and oil slicks, British media reported this week.

About 150 oiled gulls and several oiled auks were later found in the area, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds told the Telegraph newspaper. But the society's spokesperson could not be 100 percent certain that the oil was from the sunken ship.

The Greek-registered Ice Prince lost about 2,000 tons of her approximately 5,260-ton load of Swedish timber, the BBC reported. Area ships have been warned about the possibility of floating timber, the report said.

The ship's 20 crew members were rescued after the ship issued a distress call Sunday off the coast of Devon.